Cactus grandiflorus
The great heart remedy with constriction. Sensation as if the heart were grasped by an iron hand. Constriction felt everywhere — chest, throat, bladder. Hemorrhages of black, clotted blood.
Source
Tincture of the youngest and tenderest stems and flowers of Selenicereus grandiflorus (Cactaceae), harvested when in bloom.
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Sensation of constriction — as if heart were grasped and squeezed by an iron hand. Constriction in chest, throat, bladder, uterus, rectum. Numbness of left arm. Hemorrhages with clotted dark blood. Palpitations day and night, worse lying on left side. Whole body feels as if caged in wires.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Sadness and melancholy. Fear of death, believes disease is incurable. Taciturn, unwilling to speak. Screaming with pain. Love of solitude.
General Symptoms
Constriction is the keynote sensation — felt in every organ. Cardiac complaints predominate. Periodicity — symptoms at 11 AM and 11 PM. Hemorrhages of dark, clotted blood. Numbness of left arm. Cannot lie on left side. Edema of left hand.
Physical Symptoms
Head
Congestive headache, heavy, pressing. Right-sided headache. Sensation of weight on vertex. Pulsating pain.
Chest
Heart feels grasped by an iron hand. Angina pectoris. Palpitations worse lying on left side. Endocarditis with mitral insufficiency. Suffocative feeling. Constriction of chest.
Throat
Constriction of throat. Suffocative feeling. Cannot swallow.
Female Genitalia
Constriction of uterus. Dysmenorrhea with pulsating pains. Menses too early, cease on lying down. Hemorrhage with clots.
Urinary
Constriction of bladder neck. Retention of urine. Hemorrhage from bladder, clotted.
Extremities
Edema of hands — left worse. Numbness of left arm. Cold hands.
Modalities
Better From
Open air. Rest. Quiet.
Worse From
Lying on left side. 11 AM and 11 PM. Exertion. Walking. Going upstairs. Night.
Constitutional Type
Plethoric, congested persons with cardiac tendency. Sanguine temperament. Persons with atherosclerosis. Those who fear heart disease and death.
Clinical Indications
Angina pectoris. Cardiac constriction. Endocarditis. Pericarditis. Hemorrhages. Dysmenorrhea. Congestive headache. Arterial hypertension.
Comparative Materia Medica
Compare Spigelia (heart pains, left-sided but more stitching), Naja (cardiac symptoms with suffocation), Lilium tigrinum (heart feels grasped, with bearing down). Cactus is distinguished by its iron-hand constriction and periodicity at 11 o'clock.
Safety Information
Aconitum. Camphor. China.
Selenicereus grandiflorus contains alkaloids and glycosides affecting cardiac function. In material doses it acts as a cardiac stimulant. Mother tincture has real pharmacological activity on the heart and should be used cautiously.
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